Two senators, two divergent paths
In end, yes from Collins helps offset Alaska colleague’s opposition
WASHINGTON — Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski turned against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh quietly on Friday, uttering a single word: “no.”
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, her longtime friend and fellow moderate Republican, spoke on the Senate floor for 45 minutes, explaining her support for Kavanaugh in detail.
Though they reached opposite conclusions, both women had faced similar political pressure heading into Friday’s key vote on Kavanaugh’s high court nomination. As moderates who support abortion rights, they could have jointly provided enough opposition to sink Kavanaugh.
Ultimately, it was Collins who put Kavanaugh on the brink of a lifetime appointment. Minutes after she finished speaking, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he, too, would back Kavanaugh, ensuring at least 51 “yes” votes in the Senate.
All three senators, along with Arizona Republican Jeff Flake, had been publicly undecided for weeks as they faced unrelenting pressure from both sides.
In the end, Collins and Murkowski diverged.
In a Senate speech that was disrupted by protesters before it began and met with applause from GOP senators when it ended, Collins declared, “I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.”
Murkowski chose the opposite path. “I believe that Brett Kavanaugh is a good man. It just may be that in my view he’s not the right man for the court at this time,” Murkowski told reporters after voting to oppose Kavanaugh in a procedural vote Friday morning.
While she respects her colleagues’ support for Kavanaugh, Murkowski said, “I also that think we’re at a place where we need to think about the credibility and integrity of our institutions.”
Within minutes of their announcements, potential political challengers to both Collins and Murkowski emerged.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin insinuated she could run against Murkowski in a Republican primary, tweeting, “Hey lisamurkowski — I can see 2022 from my house.” The tweet was a reference to an infamous “Saturday Night Live” skit in which Tina Fey, portraying Palin, said she could see Russia from her house.
Susan Rice, the former national security adviser to President Barack Obama, volunteered herself on Twitter as a Democratic opponent to Collins in Maine. In a second tweet, she cautioned that she was “not making any announcements” but was “deeply disappointed” in Collins’ vote.
In the Capitol, however, both senators won praise from their colleagues.
“I think what Susan did today was rise to the occasion when the stakes were so high,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Flake said he thinks “the world” of Murkowski and said she made her own decision despite intense pressure to vote yes. “I admire her a lot,” he said.
Murkowski said later she opposes Kavanaugh but will ask to be recorded as “present” during Saturday’s confirmation vote to accommodate Republican Sen. Steve Daines, who will be at his daughter’s wedding in Montana.